Ventilated vault for wine



UNITED STATES JAMES `WEED, OF MUSGAIINE, IOWA.

VENTILATED VAULT FOR WINE, POTATOES, Soc.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 57,022, dated August 7, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMEs WEED, of Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Sweet Potato and Wine Vault; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical sect-ion, showing the manner of constructing the vault. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to a new and improved vault or preserving-chamber for keeping sweet-potatoes, wine, cider, and other articles which require orare benefited by a rather cool and uniform temperature with a moderately dry atmosphere.

The nature of the invention consists in having a well of a suitable depth constructed with its walls impervious to moisture, and in subdividing such a well into a number of apart ments, one above the other, the upper apartment having a covering of some suitable nonconductor or poor conductor of heat, for preventing the heat or cold above from being conducted down to the said apartments. Provision is made for ventilation and for access to the apartments, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

To construct my vault or preserving-chamber, I make an excavation of the dimensions desired and of a requisite depth in a circular or other form. I then plaster the walls with water-lime mortar or other hydraulic cement, which is applied directly to the earth walls whenthey are of such a nature as to admit of it 5 but, if not, light brick, stone, or clay walls are built up against the earth walls, and the hydraulic cement is applied to the inside surface of the artificial walls. -Having rendered the Hoor and vertical walls of the well or cellar perfectly air and water proof, to exclude external air and moisture, I construct lioors about six feet apart, one above another, so as to form a number of apartments within which a person can conveniently stand. The upper chamber is covered with a double floor, leaving the space between the two doors filled with some suitable non-conducting substance. The ceiling-floor should be air-tight, and also capable of excluding moisture, and this hoor, as well as those of the apartments below,

should have scuttles for admitting of access tained by a frame-work, C; and l) b are the scuttles through which access can be had to the different apartments by means of a ladder, G', which leads from the top to the bottom of the well. The uppermost chamber is covered by a ceiling having a substance, D, which will prevent moisture from descending into the preserving-chambers. This ceiling may be covered by a trap-door, d. At suitable times this door can be opened for ventilation. The whole may be protected by a light building, as shown in Fig. l.

For keeping wine, cider, and other articles my cellar or preservingwell has advantages over the common bank-cellar, usually recommended for such purposes, in cost of construction and in the fact that when open in summer the warmer external air will not enter to displace the cooler air of the well, the latter being, of course, the heaviest.

It is also a very economical manner of storing winter vegetables and fruits, and the abundant ventilation that may easily be given to any degree of temperature above the freez-V ing-point is a highly-important feature in the winter management of these articles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi The construction of preserving-chambers having water-proof walls beneath the surface of the ground, said chambers having communications with cach other and means of access to them, and surmounted by a covering of some non-conductor of heat, substantially as herein described.

JAMES VEED. Witnesses:

HENRY W. MOORE, JACOB FiscH. 

